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Marqees (17 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) in Movies
Jan 20, 2018
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a hilarious romp of a superhero movie. Chris Pratt and friends return as the titular Guardians a few months or so removed from the first film. This time Star-Lord and friends must figure out the mystery of Ego The living planet and Star-Lord's origins. Writer/Director James Gunn strikes gold once again in this highly anticipated sequel. The way he has portrayed this ragtag team has set them apart from other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. My only issues would be the retread of the whole "we are family" story. Vol. 1 already established that they became tight-knit through their trials on Xandar. The other would of course the weak villian of the film with the whole take over the universe plot point. Other than that it is a solid film.
Lukas Griffith (3 KP) rated Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) in Movies
Jan 22, 2018
I was a huge fan of the original and Jean-claude Van Damme, the original is an classic martial arts film. The reboot will never be as good as the original but I can say its not bad. Its awesome to see that Van Damme was able to return as the mentor and pass the torch on, his performance was the best out of the whole cast. Bautista playing the villain Tong Po was fierced and brilliant. The fight scenes were crafted exceptional and some were intense and exciting. The story in my opinion was a tad bit jumpy and drug out compared to the original but I did like how they twisted it and tried to make it more original. This movie might not be the best ever reboot, low budget but it was entertaining and Van Damme was brilliant. Hopefully the sequel will be even better.
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated Daddy's Home 2 (2017) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018 (Updated Feb 6, 2018)
The first Daddy's Home was hardly a comedic masterpiece. It was sub par for the most part and only really borderline enjoyable thanks to a cast that seemed enthusiastic and game to play a part in it. For the sequel, like Bad Mom's (a franchise where it's first movie was actually great) it has decided to bring in the grandparents. That didn't work out well for A Bad Mom's Christmas and it doesn't work for Daddy's Home 2 either.
There's nothing wrong with the performances in this one as such. Nobody is all that great, but they do the best they can with the material. The material however is the problem. This script is dire. It's a comedy without any jokes, a christmas movie without any heart and a family story where almost everyone is unwittingly unlikeable. I can't think of a single joke, a single moment that made me laugh and when a film contains Farrel, Wahlberg, Gibson and Lithgow- that's unforgivable.
There's nothing wrong with the performances in this one as such. Nobody is all that great, but they do the best they can with the material. The material however is the problem. This script is dire. It's a comedy without any jokes, a christmas movie without any heart and a family story where almost everyone is unwittingly unlikeable. I can't think of a single joke, a single moment that made me laugh and when a film contains Farrel, Wahlberg, Gibson and Lithgow- that's unforgivable.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Where She Went (If I Stay, #2) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
This is a sequel, of sorts, to "If I Stay" and picks up three years after Mia leaves Adam to start a new life at Juilliard. We learn that Mia has become a star in her own right, while Adam is rock star: the main focus of his band, Shooting Star. He has a celebrity girlfriend, a major tour, and a crazy life. But is he happy? And is Mia content with the choice she made to walk away from Adam?
This book is told from Adam's point of view and we learn about how Mia's decision has left him devastated. It's another rather short book, but it's also lovely. I am not sure exactly how to describe it. I liked "If I Stay," but I truly loved "Where She Went" -- it was beautiful and poignant and touching. Even though Adam (and Mia) could be a bit frustrating at times, it was certainly a worthwhile read.
This book is told from Adam's point of view and we learn about how Mia's decision has left him devastated. It's another rather short book, but it's also lovely. I am not sure exactly how to describe it. I liked "If I Stay," but I truly loved "Where She Went" -- it was beautiful and poignant and touching. Even though Adam (and Mia) could be a bit frustrating at times, it was certainly a worthwhile read.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) in Movies
Mar 14, 2018 (Updated Mar 15, 2018)
Lavish juggernaut follow-up to 1984 original is essentially the James Cameron school of sequel-making incarnate: all the stuff from the first film, only busier, bigger, and louder. Two more time-travelling killers appear in the present day intent on eliminating future-saviour John Connor; lots of stuff blows up.
An extremely accomplished film, in technical terms at least, but once you get past all the pyrotechnic highs and gosh-wow CGI (which was admittedly game-changing 27 years ago), it's basically the same story told rather less effectively from a narrative point of view - man vs machine is a more effective conflict than machine vs slightly more advanced machine, which is what we have here, and the whole subplot forming the basis of the second half only undermines the atmosphere of inevitable doom that was so important to the success of the original film. Bigger than Terminator, but by no means better - builds off the first movie, but adds nothing to it.
An extremely accomplished film, in technical terms at least, but once you get past all the pyrotechnic highs and gosh-wow CGI (which was admittedly game-changing 27 years ago), it's basically the same story told rather less effectively from a narrative point of view - man vs machine is a more effective conflict than machine vs slightly more advanced machine, which is what we have here, and the whole subplot forming the basis of the second half only undermines the atmosphere of inevitable doom that was so important to the success of the original film. Bigger than Terminator, but by no means better - builds off the first movie, but adds nothing to it.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Terminator Genisys (2015) in Movies
Mar 15, 2018
Auction-prize Terminator movie appears to have been made by dyslexics, but that's the least of its worries. A film of two unequal halves: opening section, in which the events of the 1984 movie are cheerfully revisited and rewritten, has a sort of demented energy which makes it rather watchable. The rest of it, in which the action inexplicably shifts to a near future where the nascent Skynet is some kind of app or Windows update, is essentially incoherent cobblers.
Film is not just incoherent, but openly and knowingly incoherent, with elements of backstory and actual plot left unexplained, presumably to be revisited in a future sequel. Action and acting is okay; makes relatively little use of Arnie, all things considered. Hits all the right buttons to keep fans of the series from rising up in a violent revolt (though it's possibly a near thing); it will probably simply bore, confuse, or repel anyone unfamiliar with the earlier movies.
Film is not just incoherent, but openly and knowingly incoherent, with elements of backstory and actual plot left unexplained, presumably to be revisited in a future sequel. Action and acting is okay; makes relatively little use of Arnie, all things considered. Hits all the right buttons to keep fans of the series from rising up in a violent revolt (though it's possibly a near thing); it will probably simply bore, confuse, or repel anyone unfamiliar with the earlier movies.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) in Movies
Mar 27, 2018 (Updated Mar 28, 2018)
What-time-d'you-call-this-then late-arriving sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 love letter to Japanese tokusatsu movies. A new generation of giant robot pilots must stop a new attempt to wipe out the human race using giant monsters.
The plot is fairly forgettable and possibly incoherent, as is most of the acting (though Scott Eastwood makes something of an impression in an underwritten part), but you go to this kind of film to see enormous robots and kaiju smacking each other about the head with bits of skyscraper, and this movie delivers that in spades. Possibly the first western movie to capture the real spirit of Japanese monster movies, and that makes up for a lot. The world-building isn't as interesting as in the first one, but it retains a few compellingly weird touches. Pure popcorn entertainment, but made with real energy and actually quite charming in a puppyish way.
The plot is fairly forgettable and possibly incoherent, as is most of the acting (though Scott Eastwood makes something of an impression in an underwritten part), but you go to this kind of film to see enormous robots and kaiju smacking each other about the head with bits of skyscraper, and this movie delivers that in spades. Possibly the first western movie to capture the real spirit of Japanese monster movies, and that makes up for a lot. The world-building isn't as interesting as in the first one, but it retains a few compellingly weird touches. Pure popcorn entertainment, but made with real energy and actually quite charming in a puppyish way.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Vengeance of She (1968) in Movies
Feb 26, 2018 (Updated Feb 26, 2018)
Bargain basement Hammer fantasy sequel manages to ditch almost everything that gave the original film its class. Plot is basically a role-reversal of the original film; Richardson's character has gone mad (we are invited to infer) and regressed to the personality of his previous incarnation (film doesn't actually make sense otherwise); awaits the arrival of the reincarnation of Ursula Andress (not that Berova looks that much like her); cult of sorcerers offer to speed her arrival in return for the secret of immortality.
Basically just quite pedestrian and dull, with lots of messing about on a rich man's yacht that doesn't do a great deal to advance the plot. Some potentially interesting ideas are ignored in favour of potboiler romance and fantasy melodrama. Production values basically scream that the movie was made on a very low budget. Andre Morell is the best thing in it, and he's not in it all that much.
Basically just quite pedestrian and dull, with lots of messing about on a rich man's yacht that doesn't do a great deal to advance the plot. Some potentially interesting ideas are ignored in favour of potboiler romance and fantasy melodrama. Production values basically scream that the movie was made on a very low budget. Andre Morell is the best thing in it, and he's not in it all that much.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated A Muddied Murder (A Greenhouse Mystery #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Megan Sawyer’s plans to revitalize her family’s farm and open a small store and café are constantly hitting the road block of Simon Duvall. Simon is the head of the local zoning commission, and he keeps failing her on every inspection. After the latest one, Megan finds Simon murdered in the farm’s barn. Naturally, the police are looking at Megan as a suspect, but all Megan can wonder is why Simon was killed in the barn.
This is a wonderful debut! There are some secrets in Megan’s family that come to light over the course of the book and add another layer to the story. I can’t wait to see where that goes next. The mystery of Simon’s murder is also very well done with plenty of surprises along the way. Top that off with great characters. I can’t wait to return for the sequel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-muddied-murder-by-wendy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a wonderful debut! There are some secrets in Megan’s family that come to light over the course of the book and add another layer to the story. I can’t wait to see where that goes next. The mystery of Simon’s murder is also very well done with plenty of surprises along the way. Top that off with great characters. I can’t wait to return for the sequel.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-muddied-murder-by-wendy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018
The Way to a Man's Heart is through his Sex Dungeon
Crushingly predictable glossy romance in which a shy everygirl manages to win the heart of a handsome, wealthy man, with regular sequences of soft-core humping included in an attempt to disguise how formulaic it all is.
Manages the surprising trick of making bondage seem quite dull; I found my attention wandering, and wondering who it was that kept Mr Grey's sex dungeon so shiny clean - has his cleaner also signed an NDA? Essentially hobbled as a piece of erotica by the fact that, in the end, this is still a mainstream film and so there are certain things they can't show. In the end this really has all the sizzling erotic frisson of a game of dominoes with Jacob Rees-Mogg. Extra point knocked off for the fact it doesn't bother with a proper climax (so to speak), choosing to leave that for the inevitable sequel.
Manages the surprising trick of making bondage seem quite dull; I found my attention wandering, and wondering who it was that kept Mr Grey's sex dungeon so shiny clean - has his cleaner also signed an NDA? Essentially hobbled as a piece of erotica by the fact that, in the end, this is still a mainstream film and so there are certain things they can't show. In the end this really has all the sizzling erotic frisson of a game of dominoes with Jacob Rees-Mogg. Extra point knocked off for the fact it doesn't bother with a proper climax (so to speak), choosing to leave that for the inevitable sequel.